Drop in Centre

Our work began with street children, and they are still at the very heart of what we do. Many children are left to roam the streets; by the time they are only 10 or 11 years old, most will be taking drugs, stealing and vulnerable to becoming victims of sexual exploitation. The numbers of street children are falling because of our work, however the Drop in Centre still provides essential help to children living on the streets.

The street children come to the Drop in and are able to shower and wash their clothes. We have a teacher who tailors classes to cover the children’s various abilities. All of the children are given a hot lunch every day. Our social workers are also around during the day to help the children whenever necessary. They try to reunite the children with their families, whenever possible, or look to move them into one of our homes to ensure their safety and well being. They will also ensure the children are taken to the doctors and bought medicine as and when it is needed. Global volunteers assist the teacher with lessons, as well as planning fun craft, sport and drama activities for the children. Once a week the children are treated with an outing – the beach, the zoo or the local reptile park are a few examples. The kids love this opportunity to get out of the city and have fun like children should.

The Drop in Centre also has a library. This is a quiet study room for students on our schooling programme to use after school to finish assignments. Many of them live in slum houses with only one room and no electricity – this makes studying very difficult and can result in poor school grades. We have already seen how essential this library is in equipping pupils to excel in their studies. The library is stocked with good text books from the UK, as well as fiction books for the kids to use for quiet times during the day. We have also been fortunate enough to receive donated laptops from schools in the UK.

In addition to the library, where staff and volunteers help with homework, other after school clubs are also run at the Drop in Centre. These clubs include art and craft, basketball, dance and piano. These clubs are a great opportunity for children on our schooling programme to have a bit of fun and relaxation, and somewhere safe for them to be in the evenings. Some clubs are also run on a Saturday, therefore preventing kids getting into trouble as they roam the streets.